With just weeks until the voters of West Springfield decide whether to approve Hard Rock International's pitch to develop an $800 million casino there, the company now says that nearly 50 percent of likely voters now support the project.

The company said Monday that a survey of 300 likely voters concluded that support for the project is at 49.6 percent with 41.4 percent saying they are opposed to it. Nine percent reported they are still undecided and the poll, conducted by Fallon Research from Aug. 14-16, carries a five percent margin of error, according to Hard Rock officials.

“With each poll completed in the last several months, our support is growing, the margin is increasing and, we continue to build strong momentum toward a victory on September 10th,” said Tim Maland, president of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino New England. "We’ve been measuring voter support over the last several months with nationally-recognized public opinion research firms. From our first polling this Spring until now, we’ve certainly moved the needle. Voters are reacting positively to the facts of the project, the host community agreement and our specific job-creation programs. From the 3,000 jobs to the $18 million in new annual revenue or $50 million in local small business spending, the impact to the local and regional economy would be quite remarkable and this polling data confirms the community’s enthusiastic response."

When asked to release the full results of the internal poll, Hard Rock spokeswoman Jill Chandler said company policy prohibits them from complying with such requests. She did say, however, that the live telephone poll aimed to get a sample representative of voter turnout from various neighborhoods in the city, according to past elections.

When asked how exactly the pollster worded the question gauging support, Chandler released the following excerpt from the pollster's script:

"Supposing for a moment that the election was being held today, and you were voting, would you vote “Yes,” to permit the operation of a gaming establishment in West Springfield licensed by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, or “No,” against it?"

The company said the poll also concluded that nearly 75 percent of voters say the promise to bring 3,000 full-time equivalent jobs to the city with a preference toward hiring local applicants will provide a benefit to city residents. Similar margins reportedly concurred with statements that the company's promise to deliver $18 million in new revenues for school art and music programs and to purchase $50 million in goods and services from local vendors, would be a positive thing for the community.

The company said its poll also concluded that 69.8 percent of voters believe the city will benefit from Hard Rock’s $35 million in proposed transportation improvements, including the rebuilding of Memorial Avenue and new direct access and other improvements.

Ahead of the Sept. 10 vote in West Springfield, Hard Rock officials' boots were on the ground this weekend, hosting a job fair on Saturday and an updated presentation of the project on Sunday.

Hard Rock International currently operates four casinos in the United States, three casinos in foreign countries, and is planning on opening the Ohio venture before the end of the year. Hard Rock is competing with MGM Resorts International's Springfield casino proposal and Mohegan Sun's Palmer project to battle for the state's sole Western Massachusetts casino license.

Hard Rock’s plan to build an $800 million resort casino on the grounds of the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield includes a 12-story hotel with at least 250 rooms, along with an approximately 100,000-square-foot casino with 100 table games and 2,500 slot machines and a Hard Rock Cafe. The resort is also expected to include a live music venue, a gallery of music memorabilia from the chain's extensive collection and several retail shopping and dining options.